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By Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!™
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Reader Question
We are preparing to downsize from a 3-story
(with full basement), 4-bedroom house to a 2
or 3 bedroom town house with a walk out
basement. The thought of weeding through 37
years accumulation of 'stuff' is so 
overwhelming that I can't get started. I have
boxes of photographs to organize. I don't know what to do with
old sewing patterns that no longer work. The rest of it is just
things that I have saved over the years--clothes, memorabilia,
toys, books, not to mention the furniture we don't plan to take.
Can you help me get a running start?
--Kathy Burkman, Lincoln, NE
Our Response
Dear Kathy,
It’s super important to focus on the fact that you need room to
live. Almost any sized house is plenty large enough if you keep
your clutter under control. It’s easy to fall in the trap of thinking
we need more space to keep all of our stuff!
First, don’t think of it as weeding out 37 year’s worth of stuff.
Focus on one small area at a time. Vow to weed out your clothes
closet today, declutter your kitchen pantry tomorrow, tackle under
your bed the next day, and so on. Little by little, you’ll be making
lots of progress!
Laundry/Clothes clutter: Do you really use and/or wear all of the
clothes, shoes, purses and accessories that you have. Very few
of us do. Be brutal and see if you can’t weed some out. In a
nutshell, people tend to wear only 20% of the clothes they own.
Newspapers & Magazines: Without exception, make a plan to
toss the newspaper at the end of each day. When you receive a
magazine, you usually have a month to read it. When the new
one comes, toss the old one. If you’re not able to read it over the
course of a month, consider dropping the subscription.
Old sewing patterns: Donate them to a senior center or your
favorite charity.
Old Photographs: Just put them all in acid-free photo boxes and
sort them after your move. This type of work is too detail-oriented
to try and do before you downsize. You’ll see more of a dent by
getting rid of the larger items.
Memorabilia: Be sure it truly means something to you, and limit
yourself to one to two boxes of the most special things. Give the
rest away to family members or donate them.
Reader Clinic Submittal
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Thank you!
Maria Gracia
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